Halloween, as it is known and celebrated today, began primarily in Ireland and Scotland. In these regions, the ancient Celtic festival marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. People believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. To ward off these spirits, people lit bonfires and wore costumes.
When Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their customs to North America, Halloween began to take the form that is familiar today. In the USA, Halloween customs have evolved into a huge celebration involving various traditions such as trick-or-treating, where children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door, collecting candies and treats, haunted houses and pumpkin carving. Spooky decorations have become an important part of the festivities.
In recent years, Halloween has made its way to Spain. In Spain, Halloween is often celebrated with costume parties, themed events, and sometimes trick-or-treating.
Some interesting Halloween Facts are the following:
- Halloween’s origins can be traced back over 2,000 years.
- The world’s heaviest pumpkin was grown in Belgium in 2016, weighing 2,624.6 pounds (1,190.5 kg).
- The largest Halloween parade is held in New York City, where thousands of participants march in elaborate costumes.
- Black and orange are the traditional colours of Halloween. Orange represents the harvest and autumn, while black represents darkness.
- Harry Houdini, the famous magician and escape artist, died on Halloween night in 1926.
At La Devesa School, we celebrate Halloween in a big way in many different ways; starting with Crazy Hair Day on the 30th October, students will come to school with crazy hair styles, then Halloween Day on the 31st October many activities and events will take place, such as our Halloween Door Competition, Thematic Storytelling Competition, Costume Parades, Trick-or-Treating, games, etc. We are sure that our students will have a scream!!